All You Wanted to Know About Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy is a known treatment where pure form of oxygen is supplied to a person in pressurized room. This therapy is used for decompression illness, a danger out of scuba diving. There are other situations too where hyperbaric oxygen therapy is practiced; e.g. severe infections, unhealed wounds due to diabetic conditions or some kind of radiation injuries and presence of air bubbles in the blood vessels.

How is hyperbaric oxygen therapy practiced?

During this therapy the air pressure of the room is increased thrice than normal. Lungs usually absorb more than thrice of oxygen during this therapy than what it would have inhaled at normal air pressure.

Blood transfers this oxygen to the whole body motivating the discharge of substance termed as growth factors as well as stem cells that directly enables healing.

Reason behind practicing this therapy

Body tissue requires regular flow of oxygen to work. An injured tissue needs more of oxygen to outlast. This treatment raises the quantity of oxygen that blood could hold. Increased supply of oxygen in blood restores temporarily the normal levels of the function of tissue and blood gases, thus leading to fast healing and helping to fight against any infection.

It is practiced to deal with wide hodgepodge of medical possibilities and various medical institutions utilize this method.

When is this therapy suggested?

This treatment may be suggested by your doctor in various circumstances, such as:

presence of air bubbles in the blood vessels which is medically known as arterial gas embolism

Poisoning due to carbon monoxide

An unhealed wound due to diabetes or other reason

Any crushed injury

Decompression sickness

Infection in bone or skin that may lead to the death of tissue

Gangrene

Severe burns

Highly anemic condition

Skin flaps or grafts leading to the death of tissue

Injuries due to radiation

During what circumstances hyperbaric oxygen therapy doesn’t work?

Though researchers have done a great work in this field but still there are many fields where this therapy may not be fruitful. The proof provided by researchers is not sufficient enough to support claims about this therapy working under following:

Arthritis that is commonly seen among people

Cancer

Autism

Cerebral palsy

Allergies

Fibromyalgia

Cirrhosis

Gastrointestinal ulcers

Chronic fatigue syndrome

Conclusion

This therapy has proved too efficient in many circumstances and is among the most growing therapies. Regularly many innovations are added to this therapy and world is expecting more from it. It is expected that very soon this therapy will prove efficient for almost every treatment. This therapy requires couple of sessions and hospitalization may not be necessary. If you are already under observation in a hospital then the level of oxygen may be controlled there or it may also be put to function at home. It is an efficient therapy and world is getting more and more benefits out of it.